Coating apparatus.



A. L. BAUSMAN.

COATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. 1914.

WITNESSES:

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COATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED OCT. 16, 1914.

Patented June 19, 1917.

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A. L. BAUSMAN.

COATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED OCT. 16, 1914.

W J x m m %M 1% F N R IMW 130 A h w J N ALONZO LINTON newsman, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS! coaTme APPARATUS.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented June 19,1917.

Application filed October 16, 1914. Serial No. 866,927.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALONZO LINTON BAUS- MAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in .the city of Springfi county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements .in Coating Apparatus, off which the following is a specification.

This invention re ates to an improved machine for coating candies, cake, and the like, with a chocolate or other suitable covering.

The object of the an improved machine of the kind referred to, in which the coating operation in general is automatic, and characterized broadly by the improved control of the coating material applied to the goods to be coated.

More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide a coating apparatus having a, conveyer to carry the goods, means to positively feed a sheet or ribbon of coating material on the goods carried by the conveyer to cover the same.

Another object is to provide in such a machine means to synchronize the flow of an unbroken sheet of coating material and the conveyer so that the former will be laid on the conveyer in a predetermined and uniform manner.

Another object is to provide for the feeding of two sheets of coating material to the conveyer in the manner just described and further means to feed goods to the conveyer between the two sheets so that the latter, being in a plastic condition, will completely envelop the goods in a predetermined and uniform manner.

Another object is to provide in a coating machine a conveyer for the goods, means for positively feeding a continuous sheet or ribbon of coating material upon the conveyer at a point preferably close to and just before that at which the goods are fed to the conveyer, a second positive means for feeding a continuous sheet of coating material upon the top of the goods to extend beyond the sides thereof at a point preferably close to and immediately after that at which they are fed to the conveyer, so thatthe sheets of coating material will be applied to the bottom and settle over the topand sides of the goods at about the same time and a homogeneous and uniform coating that completely envelops each individua piece of the goods coated will result.

Further objects are to improve coating eld, v

invention is to provide machines generally. All the objects will appear in the detailed description and annexed claims. i

For the purpose of illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention, reference 1s had to the accompanying drawings and description.

i In the drawings:

Figure-1 is a plan view of the apparatus vv1th parts broken away to better show the interior construction.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation with parts broken away. 1

Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the top of the casing in vertical section and the pump casing broken away to indicate the manner of pumping the chocolate.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the conveyer, the nozzles feeding the sheets of coating material thereto, the means for feeding the goods to be coated between the two sheets and the general coating operation.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the goods on the conveyer after they have been coated.

Fig. 6 is a cross the nozzles.

Fig. is a front elevational view of one of the nozzles.

It is to be understood that the drawings are not intended as working drawings but only as illustrations of one preferred form sectional view of one of of the apparatus such as will enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3: the base of the apparatus is indicated by a which supports the tank 6 containing the main supply of coating material. The tank 6, as customary in machines of this character, is provided with a heating jacket for maintaining the coating material at the desired temperature and is open at the top. Mounted above the tank 6 is a heat-retaining casing c and extending therefrom is a supplemental casing d. Within the casing c and immediately above the tank I) is mounted a wire belt or conveyer 10. Leading into a transverse slot in the front part of the casing is a conveyer 11 indicated diagrammatically, which delivers the goods to be coated to the conveyer belt 10. Another conveyer 41 receives the goods from the conveyer 10 and carries them to the rear of the machinethrough the heat retaining casing d attached to' and communicating with the casing a.

The main driving shaft of the apparatus is indicated by 1 and is connected by means of driving chains to the pump shaft 8 and the vertically arranged shaft 23 by a bevel gear connection with shaft 2. a Power 1s transmitted from the latter to the vert cal shaft 3 by means. of a speed controll ng mechanism 4 of a well-known form in which any pair of the inter-meshing gears may, as desired, be connected by means of the clutch 5. The gears on the shaft 23 are all loose thereon and the gears on the shaft 3 are all keyed thereto. The clutch 5 shifts a key not shown, to connect any one of the gears on the shaft 23 to rotate therewith according to the speed desired. The shaft 3 is connected to. the horizontal cross shaft 6 on which is a driving roll provided with teeth adapted to engage and drive the conveyer 41 around the suitably mounted guiding members 15, 16 and 17. A similar roll on shaft 7 is driven by means of an idler meshing with gears on shafts 6 and 7 (see Fig. 1) to drive the conveyer 10 which passes around the antifriction guide members 12, 13 and 14. A conveyer belt 11 driven in any suitable manner feeds the goods to be coated to the conveyer 1'0 and the coating material is spread on to the conveyer in the following manner:

Referring to Fig. 3; it will be seen that the pump casing f has a common inlet from the coating tank I) to the two gear pumps 24 and 25 contained in separate compartments of the casing, each of which has a separate outlet, as by means of pipes 26 and 27 respectively. The pipe 26 leads upwardly to an adjustable nozzle mechanism 31 (see Fig. 2) through the connecting means 30. The pipe 27 leads upwardly to a similar adjustable nozzle mechanism 32 through the connecting means 29. In each of the pipes 26 and 27 is provided an overflow pipe 39 and 28 in each of which a valve is provided to control the amount of overflow.

The nozzle mechanism 31 is preferably arranged so that the outlet thereof is immediately adjacent the upper vertical travel of the conveyer 10 and at an angle thereto which may be adjusted as desired. The nozzle mechanism 32 is mounted to be angularly adjustable by means of a bracket 37 in which is a curved slot engaged by a binding device 38 to hold the extension 29 to the nozzle mechanism 32 in the desired angular position which is preferably at an acute angle with the upper travel of the conveyer 10. These nozzle mechanisms are constructed essentially in the same way and the adjustable means as by bracket 37 and 38 may be of the same kind for each extension 30 and 32.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7; the nozzle comprises a casing 31 having a longitudinal slot 52 the length thereof, approximately the manners width of the conveyer-10. The width of the slot is controlled bymeansof section 42 of the casing 31 which is held to the casing 31 by means of a flexible spring plate 43, one longitudinal edge of which is bound to the section 42 and the other longitudinal edge of which is bound to the casing 31. Two arms 44, near the sides of the section 42 are mounted integral therewith, and are each engaged by one of two adjustable stop members 46, threaded in brackets 45, one at each side and integralwith the casing turning the stop members 46, the section of the nozzle 42 may be forced inwardly or be allowed to spring outwardly, due to its flexible connection with the casing 31 and thus the width of the nozzle opening may be adjusted as desired. By this means the thickness of the sheet of coating material emitted from each nozzle may be controlled accurately. V v

With the parts adjustable and arranged substantially as shown in Fig. 2, the apparatus is ready to operate. The pumps 24 and 25 in casing f positively force the coating material from the tank I) through the pipes 26 and 27 to the nozzles 31 and 32 respectively. Nozzle 31 emits a sheet of coating material (see Fig. 4) g on to the conveyer 10, of a width approximately the same as the conveyer, at a point just before the goods p are fed to the conveyer 10 by means of the conveyer 11. Thus the goods 12 ride on the coating material 3 and are hottomed by the coating material. 'At very nearly the same point at which the goods are fed on to the conveyer 10, the nozzle mechanism 32 emits a sheet of coating ma terial is, which is approximately the width of the conveyer 10, and which is directed or spread on to the conveyer and on to the pieces of goods 79, the sheet of coating ma terial 7: (see Fig. 4) being in a plastic state will then settle around the four sides of each piece p to join with the bottoming sheet y, thus completely covering each piece in a homogeneous envelop. The conveyer 10 is preferably made of wire and suitably formed so that it will hold the bottoming sheet of coating material y without allowing it to fall therethrough. When the pieces completely coated "are transferred from the conveyer 10 to the conveyer 41, (see Fig. 2), the sheets but not the envelops, are broken and the excess coating material flows through the conveyer to be directed back to the coating tank I) by any suitable means.

When on the conveyer 41 the goods are agitated in order that the excess coating material between the pieces may be broken and shaken through the openings in the conveyer 41 and be returned to the tank I). The agitating mechanism for thus individualizing the coated goods is indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 and comprises a frame 19 pivoted on the cross bar 17 mounted in the supplementary casing 11 under the conveyer 4:1. The frame 19 comprises the longitudinal side members, as indicated and a cross connecting member underlying the belt. On the side pieces 19 are mounted brackets 21 which have a part extending over the ratchet wheels 20 mounted on the shaft 9, rotatabl mounted transversely of the easing (2 see Fig. 1). This latter shaft is driven by means of a chain and sprocket connection with the shaft 6. Bearing pins are mounted in the brackets 21 to bear against and be su ported by and thus support the frame 19 y the teeth on the ratchet wheels 20. As the latter turn with the shaft 9, the teeth operate to rapidly throw the frame 19 up and down, and the. cross member of the frame bearing against the under side' of the conveyer agitates the latter for the purpose described. The casing 03 is braced by means of cross members 9 connected by longitudinal brace members It (see Fig. 1).

The preferred form of the invention and its general operation having been described, the principal advantages .of the invention will now be briefly disclosed. The accepted and most generally used machine for coating goods today known involves a system of conveyers, material tanks, and casings broadly like that shown in the drawings. The means for feeding the coating material to the goods, however, is quite different. The prior devices generally used for this purposeinvolve means to flood the goods (after they have first been covered on the bottoms) with vertically descending streams of material as they pass along with the conveyer. By the improved means herein disclosed, the goods are covered by a continuous ribbon or sheet of coating material uniformly emitted from a nozzle under positive and predetermined pressure. The covering sheet travels at the same speed as the goods on the conveyer so there is practically um relative longitudinal movement of the goods and coating material when they meet. The coating sheet is, therefore, laid on the goods with uniform precision and of a definite predetermined thickness; The synchronizin of the sheet and the conveyer is obtained %y the speed control for the conveyer driving devices by means of which the conveyer may be brought to the same speed as the sheet forced out of the nozzle. Any slight variation of speed between the two can be corrected by the valves in the overflow pipes 28 and 39 which will control the speed of'the sheets from nozzles 31 and 32.

The fact that the coatingmaterial is fed by positive force pump action into the form of a sheet which envelops each piece of the goods allows a wide choice of coating material. In other words, the coating material does not need .to be carefully made up with a View to Working properly in the coating apparatus. Under the practice heretofore, it has been necessary to use a coating material within narrow limits of quality and condition for the coating operations depended on the nature of the material and its selected condition to flow properly around the goods. In the case of chocolate coating, for example, a definite amount of cocoa butter (an expensive ingredient) was necessary or the coating operations were unsuccessful. By the use of this invention, a much smaller amount of cocoa butter ma be used (an im ortant condition for hot weather coating5, and the coating operations will still be successful.

To state the advantage of the invention broadly, it may be said that coating operations are reduced to a mechanical control to a degree not heretofore approached.

It is realized that the invention maybe carried out in other ways than by the spe cific form of apparatus shown for the purpose of illustration. The invention is, therefore, defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing specific description of the form at present preferred.

What I claim is:

1. A chocolate coating machine, comprising, in combination, a conveyer for the goods to be coated and continuously measuring means to positively force an unbroken sheet of chocolate onto the conveyer, whereby the chocolate is laid on the sides and tops of the goods in a uniform and predetermined manner.

2. A chocolate coating machine, comprising, in combination, a conveyer for the goods to be coated, continuously operable measuring means to positively force an unbroken sheet of chocolate onto the conveyer, driving devices for the conveyer and means to synchronize the speed of the conveyer and the speed of the measuring means, whereby the chocolate is laid on the sides and tops of the goods in a uniform and predetermined manner.

3. A chocolate coating machine, comprising, in combination, a conveyer for the goods to be coated and continuously operable measuring means to positively force an unbroken sheet of chocolate onto the conveyer, means to feed the goods to be coated onto the sheet of chocolate carried by the conveyer, and other continuously operable measuring means to positively feed an unbroken sheet of chocolate onto the sides and tops of the goods in a uniform and predetermined manner.

4. A chocolate machine, combination, a conveyer for the goods to be coated, continuously operable measuring means to positively feed an unbroken sheet comprising, in

operable ySQ . of chocolate to the conveyer before the goods are fed thereto, a second continuously operable measuring means to positively feed a second unbroken sheet of chocolate to the conveyer and over the sides and tops of the goods after the latter arefed to the conveyer, and means to synchronize the speed of the conveyer and said devices.

6. Achocolate coating machine, comprising, in combination, a conveyer, means to feed goods to the conveyer, continuously operable measuring means for positively feeding a continuous sheet of chocolate upon the conveyer at a point close to and just before that at which the goods are fed thereto, a second continuously operable measuring means for positively feeding a continuous sheet of chocolate upon the sides and tops of the goods at a point close to and immediately after that at which the goods are fed to the conveyer.

7. A chocolate coating machine, comprising, in combination, a conveyer, continuously operable measuring devices for positively forcing chocolate in upper and lower sheets onto the conveyer at different points, so that they may be carried along by the conveyer, and means to feed the goods to be coated onto the conveyer between the points at which the sheets are fed thereto, whereby the goods are enveloped and surrounded by the chocolate.

8. A chocolate coating machine, comprising, in combination, a conveyer for the goods to be coated, a chocolate tank provided with heating means, a nozzle extending adjacent to and transversely of the conveyer provided with a longitudinal outlet, a pipe connection between the tank and nozzle, a pump in said connection adapted to positively force the chocolate in a plastic condition through the nozzle and into an unbroken sheet onto the conveyer, whereby the goods are coated by the chocolate in a uniform and predetermined manner.

9. A coating machine, comprising in combination, a conveyer for the goods to be coated, a tank for coating material, two nozzles each having longitudinal outlets extending transversely of the conveyer, means to connect the nozzles with the tank, and pumping mechanism to positively force the coating material through each nozzle in an neonate unbroken sheet to coat the goods carried by the conveyer.

10. A ,coating machine, comprising in combinatlon, a conveyer for the. goods to be coated, a tank for the coating material, a m

nozzle mechanism having a longitudinal outlet therefrom, a pipe connection between the tank and nozzle mechanism, a pump in said connection to positively force the material from the nozzle, and means to adjust the and nozzle to positively force the material through the outlet of the nozzle into a cont1n uous sheet, said nozzle being arranged adjacent the conveyer with the outlet extending transversely of the conveyer, and

having a spring mounted lip along one edge of the outlet with means to force the lip against its spring mounting to regulate the transverse dimension of the outlet as desired.

12. A coating machine, comprising in combination, a conveyer arranged to carry the goods to be coated along an upper horizontal travel, two nozzles each with a longitudinal slot therein, one arranged adjacent to and transversely of the vertical travel of the conveyer just before it turns for its upper horizontal travel, the other arranged transversely and adjacent to the conveyer in its upper'horizontal travel, a tank for'the coating material, separate pipe connections from the tank to each nozzle, and pump mechanism to positively force through each nozzle a continuous unbroken sheet of coating material onto the conveyer at different points, whereby the goods may be fed to the conveyer between these points and be enveloped by the sheets.

13. A coating machine having in combination, a conveyer, a receptacle for coating material, a sheet forming device having a converging outlet or nozzle one side of which is adjustable to control the thickness of the sheet, and mechanical means between the receptacle and nozzle to positively measure and force the coating material through the nozzle forming device.

14. A coating machine having in combination, a conveyer, a receptacle for coating material, adjustable sheet forming devices provided with unobstructed outlets arranged in spaced relation along and extending transversely of the conveyer, an article feeding device arranged to deliver goods to the conveyer between the outlets, a mechanical means between the receptacle and each sheet forming device to positively measure and force the material through the outlets, and means to synchronize the speed of the conveyer to that of the measured sheets emitted from the outlets whereby the goods will be covered.

15. A coating machine having in combination, a receptacle for the coating material, a conveyer, a sheet forming means, comprising an outlet or nozzle arranged transversely of the conveyer, a pipe connection between the nozzle and the receptacle, a positively acting measuring .pump in the pipe connection, and means to drive the pump and conveyer in properly timed relation to force the desired sheet on the latter.

16. A coating machine having in combination, a receptacle for the coating material, a traveling conveyer, a pair of sheet forming devices, each comprising an outlet or nozzle arranged transversely of the conveyer and one in advance of the other in the direction of travel, pipe connections between said reservoir and the two nozzles, a positively acting rotary measuring pump in each pipe connection, means for driving said pumps and conveyer in properly timed relation to force the two sheets of material on the conveyer, and means for feeding articles between said sheets.-

17. A coating machine having in combination, a receptacle for the coating material, a conveyer movable from a substantially vertical plane into a substantially horizontal plane, means for discharging a sheet of coating material upon the vertical stretch of said conveyer while moving, means for feeding articles on said coating sheet after it has turned into a; horizontal Slane, and means for discharging a secon sheet of coating material at the turn of the conveyer,

and a second and like nozzle for discharging a covering sheet of coating material upon the top and sides of the moving articles.

19. A coating machine having in combination, a receptacle for the coatin material, a conveyer movable from a sufistantially vertical plane to a substantially horizontal plane, a nozzle extending across said conveyer having an adjustable outlet for dis charging a sheet of coating of regulable thickness upon the rising stretch of said conveyer while mov ng, a belt conveyer terminating at the turn of the first conveyerfor automatically delivering articles onto the horizontally moving sheet of coating material, a second and like nozzle for discharging a covering sheet of coating material upon the top and sides of'the moving arti-- cles, and a measuring pump between the receptacle and each nozzle for forcing the flow of the coating material in determined quantities.

ALONZO LINTON BAUSMA Witnesses:

CARornm W. WILLIS, F. G. NEAL. 

